Gatchaman (1972–1980) User Reviews (12)

The original and still the best.

[Java_Joe · 7/10 · 5 March 2019]

I remember being 10 and seeing the first episode of "Battle of the Planets" on TV. The very next day at school it was all kids could talk about. This was something new and exciting and never before seen. We accepted the fact that nobody ever died. That all the explosions and people getting blown up were just robots. And that the bad guys were polite enough to warn of their attack so everybody could evacuate the city. And nobody really minded the shoddy animation that had been added to the show to pad out the run time after all the cuts. We were kids. It happens.

And then, years later, I discovered it had been cobbled together from this show "Gatchaman" and I was interested in seeing how the show differed. And let me tell you it was like night and day. Here there were consequences. People died. Bad guys were killed as well as innocent civilians. And best of all, no 7-Zark-7 and forcing a space opera theme on it. And yes while I loved Keyop when I was 10, I seriously have a problem with him now. What were they thinking?

This is a much more mature story. Instead of them being five orphans raised from birth to fight baddies with their "cerebonic implants", they're five highly trained and capable individuals who fight for freedom against a group of terrorists. These people have actual lives outside of being the Science Ninja Team and don't just chill in their underwater base while waiting for the next attack. They have real lives and real issues.

There are several English versions of this out there from the original "Battle of the Planets" which is a decent dub even with the inclusion of Keyop to the bad G-Force which added a lot of unnecessary dialogue and focused on them being able to fly for some reason. There was another one called "Eagle Riders" out there but I've never actually seen it but I've heard it's the worst of the bunch.

If you can find it I would recommend the ADV dub which is the closest to the original Japanese in terms of dialogue. Or just stick the Japanese audio in and watch the subtitles.

A great animated series from my childhood

[Rectangular_businessman · 9/10 · 9 January 2013]

I love "Battle of the Planets" (Also known as "G-Force) It was one of the coolest cartoons ever made, and it was way ahead of its time, which despite being made in the seventies, predates the aesthetic and themes from many action and superhero cartoons from the eighties and nineties. This show also had a cool cast of heroes and villains, which were also very cool and interesting, and made this series to work so well.

I consider "Battle of the Planets" to be one of the most underrated animations from the seventies, totally deserving the title of cult classic despite all the "dated" elements that this series could have, at least from a modern perspective.

Personally, I still like it a lot, and I consider "Battle of the Planets" to be a part of my childhood, like the original Transformers cartoon, Robotech and Saint Seiya.

Five acting as one!

[joethecondor · 6 November 2001]

How could you not like this cool as hell show ? Martial arts, giant monsters, and the unforgetable fiery phoneix.Gatchaman had everything forget the horrible Battle of the Planets, and watch this show uncut. Episode after episode these kids rack up a body count the size of Europe. And Ken and Joe are always arguing, usually over who to kill and who not. The last two episodes were my favorites.

Now I know what I missed!

[lborgia88 · 10/10 · 5 February 2007]

I'm old enough to remember Battle of the Planets -liked the show, hated the robot. Only recently have I begun watching all the Gatchaman episodes from ADV films (only volume 18 left to see) and I am loving them. I watch them with my 10 year old nephew, and he thinks they're great too, which goes to show that the limitations of 35 year old animation don't matter if the characters and stories are good. There's humour, over-the-top zaniness (WHO created the uniforms of the Galactor commanders?), LOTS of action, and lots of angst. Joe is my favourite character (swoon), but my nephew likes Jinpei, the kid. Now, if only Gatchaman II, the second series, were available subbed or dubbed...

One of the All-Time Best Animated Series that Still Holds Up Today!

[spasek · 10/10 · 8 January 2019]

In 1978, I was seven years old when "Battle of the Planets" hit the networks. On the heel of "Star Wars", and along my favorite TV show at the time, "Battlestar Galactica," it was a show that was right up my alley! Five super-teens in an awesome spacecraft flying around and battling Zoltar from Planet Spectra.

It would be years later that I would realize how much I'd missed. 7-Zark-7 is cool when you're seven. Not so much when you're 47. When I delved into Gatchaman, I was immediately enamored all over again, and frankly, I don't care if I never see another episode of "Battle of the Planets."

For 1972, Gatchaman was cutting-edge. In the uncut Japanese version, you had fist-fights (non-existent in 1972 American cartoons unless it was re-runs of Popeye), and civilians being slaughtered by Galactor's newest terror! You also had some mild language.

There is no planet Spectra. Instead, you have a terrorist organization hell-bent on destroying the world and taking over. Ironically, most of these attacks are against the environment, and the Science Ninja Team, spear-headed by the brilliant Dr. Nambu, and led by Ken, are sent to deal with the latest attack.

Things aren't all sunshine and rainbows on the team either. They frequently argue and fight with each other. Joe (Jason) frequently disagrees with Ken's (Mark) decisions, especially when they don't involve taking direct action. Jun (Princess) only has eyes for Ken, but he does not reciprocate her feelings, as he's more wrapped up in the mission and working as a pilot. Jinpei (Keyop) is funny and annoying, as any young boy would be. And no, there is no speech impediment either!

There is a lot of scientific knowledge that is put into the show, and why it is important to preserve the environment...messages that are still very relative even today.

Every Gatchaman episode is full of action, and each delves much deeper into the characters of the team than BOTP did.

The animation for the time period is still extraordinary, with so much attention to detail. I highly recommend watching Alex Ross's youtube video (an American artist) regarding this.

I only wish that more than the first series was available. I purchased the first 48 episodes on itunes, and I'm already anxious for more! You can't go wrong whether you're my age and re-living some great memories or even as a kid getting into it for the first time! Go! Go! Go! Gatchaman!!!

One of the True Classics of Japanese Animation

[mrizaj · 10/10 · 16 December 2013]

When I was a child growing up in the 1970's, I remembered watching a series called BATTLE OF THE PLANETS. I later learned that it was a edited version of a Japanese animated series titled SCIENCE NINJA TEAM GATCHAMAN (the translation of the title from the Japanese) and had my interest peaked by the existence of the original. In the 1990's on the Cartoon Network, I got to see another attempt to adapt the original GATCHAMAN called G-FORCE: GUARDIANS OF SPACE. But recently, I got the chance to finally see the original GATCHAMAN in its unaltered form (except for the dubbed English dialog) and the original is far superior to the two American adaptations.

If you are familiar with both early American adaptations of GATCHAMAN, you know the series' premise. If not, here's how it went. In the 21st. Century, the nations of Earth are under constant attack by Galactor, a ruthless terrorist organization led by Berg Katse (who actually the stooge of a being known only as Leader X). Using super-advanced machinery and technology, they were able to commit acts of mass destruction at will in attempt to conquer the world. The only thing that stood between the Galactor Organization and world conquest was five youths known as the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (or G-Force if you prefer).

The Gatchaman squad were Ken the Eagle aka Gatchaman (G-1), the leader of the team; Joe the Condor (G-2), the rebellious second in command; Jun the Swan (G-3), the pretty demolitions expert; Jinpei the Swallow (G-4), the youngest member of the team; and Ryu the Owl (G-5), the team strongman and pilot of their aircraft the God-Phoenix. All five clad in colorful superhero-type uniforms (birdstyles) which feature glider wing like capes that allow them to soar through the air and distinctive helmets with beak-like visors which vaguely resemble the heads of birds. All five were trained in a superhuman form of martial arts which allows them to perform tremendous superhuman feats. And four of the team utilize special vehicles that when combined with the God-Phoenix turn it into a super weapon.

The Science Ninja Team were led behind the scenes by Dr. Nambu, a scientist from the International Science Organization (ISO) who developed their distinctive weaponry and vehicles. They also were occasionally aided in their fight against Galactor by the Red Impulse squadron, a trio of pilots whose commander turned out to be the father of one of the Science Ninja Team's members.

But what separate the original series from its two American adaptations were two major things. One was the massive violence and scenes of mass destruction and loss of life which was edited out in BATTLE OF THE PLANETS and restored in part in G-FORCE. The other was the in depth characterization of not only the heroes of the series, but the villains and supporting characters in each of the episodes. A thing that would become more common in the action-adventure series that would come out in the 1990's but was light years ahead of what was going on in animation stories during the 1970's.

In conclusion, if you want to enjoy this classic series it's best to watch the original series in either the original Japanese or the current dubbed English version. Because the original GATCHAMAN is obviously the best of the bunch.

Brilliant

[keyope · 10/10 · 27 October 2020]

Like most of the other reviewers here I initially watched Battle of the Planets when I was a kid. It was my favourite cartoon, but when I tried to watch it again as an adult I found it to be quite incoherent. I was never a fan of 7Zark7 anyway (was anyone?) but the way the action was constantly interrupted by cutaways to him assuring the viewers that no one ever got hurt were quite jarring.

I first heard about Gatchaman about ten years ago but I didn't think I could watch it because the characters have different names to those in BOTP. But earlier this year I watched a few episodes online and after I'd seen about 20 of them I was so hooked I coughed up for the collectors edition blu ray. It turned out to be one of the best purchases I've made.

If you can get past the first 15 episodes the quality of the show really improves. The animation and the storylines really crank up a notch. There are a few duff episodes, but out of 105 in total that is to be expected. I quickly realised that BOTP was actually a very poor imitation of Gatchaman. BOTP cut out all of the violence (of which there is a lot) and it also ditched the storylines that ran all the way through the 105 episodes.

From about the halfway mark the story becomes a real cat and mouse affair between Gatchaman and the bad guys, Galactor. The race to catch Berg Katse (formerly Zoltar in BOTP) really hots up. I was particularly impressed by some of the darker storylines, many of which look like they were a big influence on many of the big Hollywood movies that followed (Star Wars, Indiana Jones etc). There is also some great humour in here. Katse has henchmen called Willis and Daltrey, and I'm certain it's just so the writers could make him say lines like "What you talking about Willis?" and "Roger, Daltrey"

Also, unlike BOTP a lot of people die in Gatchaman. The Galactor henchmen get burned alive on numerous occasions, but also the good guys don't always make it out alive. There are a few significant deaths that were never shown in BOTP which omitted to show about 25 of the Gatchaman episodes (usually the best ones). I also liked the fact that the good guys didn't win every time. There are many episodes where the bad guys triumph or kill someone important.

When I was finished watching this (I did one episode a day for 105 days) I was genuinely sad as I'd become very attached to the show and its characters, which is something I never imagined possible all these decades after I first watched BOTP. If you were a fan of BOTP and you were thinking of watching Gatchaman, I would recommend you get right on it. I thought it was brilliant and light years ahead of its time.

The Electrifying Sequel to the Original SCIENCE NINJA TEAM GATCHAMAN

[mrizaj · 10/10 · 7 October 2021]

Back in 1972, Tatsunoko Productions launched the classic animated series SCIENCE NINJA TEAM GATCHAMAN. Around the time that Sandy Frank Productions was adapting the original GATCHAMAN into BATTLE OF THE PLANETS, Tatsunoko launched the sequel to the original series in the form of GATHCAMAN II. Some people in Australia and the US may know of the series as EAGLE RIDERS, but what I'm writing about is the original GATCHAMAN II as it aired on Japanese TV in 1978-1979.

Taking place two years after the events of the original series, Dr. Nambu is forced to reunite the surviving members of the Science Ninja Team - Ken the Eagle, Jun the Swan, Jinpei the Swallow, and Ryu the Owl - to fight the threat of a rejuvenated Galactor organization led by Leader X and his new subordinate Gel Sadra. Dr. Nambu brought in a new G-2 - replacing Joe the Condor who had perished in final episode of SNTG - in the form of Hawk Getz who turned out to be a Galactor agent who lured the the other four into a Galactor deathtrap. The Gathcaman squad - or G-Force if you prefer - were saved by what they thought was the now dead Joe who also killed Getz with a feathered shuriken. It went for the first few episodes before they learned that Joe was still alive.

It turned out that Joe's life was saved by a Doctor Rafael, who turned out to be a former Galactor scientist and wanted to find and destroy Leader X. Joe's life was saved at the cost of him being transformed into a cyborg and giving him the possible suicide mission of destroying Leader X. Joe tried to hide the fact he was now a cyborg, but it was inevitably revealed to the rest of the squad.

Not only did the squad acquire new weaponry in their fight against Galactor; they would acquire new mecha, a new base, and a new ally as well. Besides a new version of the God-Phoenix which had a robot named Pima to take over piloting while they left to fight, the avian avengers acquired new G-machines that fit their distinctive bird-themed uniforms (Ken getting the Eagle Sharp jet, Joe getting the Condor racer, Jun getting the Swan Cycle, Jinpei getting the Swallow Copter, and Ryu getting the Owl Tank). They would acquire a new base in the form of G Town which was a movable undersea base. They would acquire a new ally in Dr. Nambu's assistant, Dr. Pandora who surprisingly has a connection to Gel Sadra.

GATCHAMAN II of course was adapted into 1996's EAGLE RIDERS, but there were some major changes made to make it palatable to younger audiences. Most notably the removal of scenes depicting mass destruction and mass violence. And this wasn't the G. I. JOE type violence of laser blast shootouts. Leader X and company were committing mass destruction on apocalyptic levels. And the Gatchaman squad themselves were doing their fair share with the amount of Galactor bases, mecha, and personnel destroyed. And this would lead to a devastating conclusion as the SNT - and surprisingly Gel Sadra - learn of Leader X's apocalyptic master plan that threatens Earth itself and led to a final showdown with Leader X.

GATCHAMAN II would by adapted into the 1996 tv series EAGLE RIDERS by Hiam Saban (the same man behind the MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS series and adapting Marvel's X-MEN to animation). The EAGLE RIDERS series was shown in its full form in Australia but was cancelled in the States after 13 episodes. Sentai Filmworks released the entire series in the original Japanese with English subtitles in.2017 along with its sequel, GATCHAMAN FIGHTER (1979).

One of the originals

[lvtbdctr · 2 May 2000]

Like many people in the 20-30 yr old range, I grew up watching Battle of the Planets. The show had incredible action sequences and realistic portrayls of the main characters. Years later I learned the show had been dubbed and judiciously eddited from the Japanese show Gatchaman. In the last few years I have been able to see most of the original episode of Gatchaman and have a much greater appreciation of the show. From Power Rangers to Voltron...this show started the team genre.

Gatchaman! Gatchaman! Gatchaman!!

[Captain_Couth · 23 June 2004]

Gatchaman a.k.a. Battle of the Planets (1972) was one of my favorite childhood cartoons. I recently bought the D.V.D. that featured the original un-edited version of Gatchaman. That show's awesome. The writing, voice acting and violence is way better than the "Battle of the Planets" version. Unlike the re-edited and re-dubbed version, Gatchaman is real dark and realistic. The "re-edit" is too hokey and not as fun. When I was younger I was a huge "Battle of the Planets" mark. But Gatchaman is something else. Long life the Space Ninja team Gatchaman!

Fun stuff. Miles difference between the Japanese version and the prepared American version. Not only is the storyline and mood of the cartoon different but the violence is over the top in the original. Great stuff!

A

"Gatchaman! Gatchaman! Gatchaman!"

Classic series!

[geeked-out-4-movies · 24 June 2020]

Gatchaman is a classic 1970s anime you will really enjoy, it has lots of action and great character designs. I really liked this series.

8/10 stars.